Unit 421 (Grand Mesa)
Colorado Hunting Guide — Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn
Unit 421 lies in Mesa and Garfield counties and covers about 540 square miles. Ground runs from 5,071 to 11,227 feet. CPW bounds it by Colorado River-Plateau Creek divide and Divide Creek-Buzzard Creek divide among others. CPW's harvest estimates put elk success here as high as 21%. Federal land covers about 65% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
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Elk Hunting in Unit 421
Unit 421 lies in Mesa and Garfield counties and covers about 540 square miles. Ground runs from 5,071 to 11,227 feet. CPW bounds it by Colorado River-Plateau Creek divide and Divide Creek-Buzzard Creek divide among others. CPW's harvest estimates put elk success here as high as 21%. Federal land covers about 65% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
Where to Find Elk in Unit 421
CPW draws an exact line around unit 421 and says nothing about where the elk stand inside it. So the ground below is the unit's own and the read on where to start is ours, labelled as such. The unit lies in Mesa and Garfield counties. It runs to about 540 square miles.
The lines of the unit: Colorado River-Plateau Creek divide, Divide Creek-Buzzard Creek divide and Mesa-Delta Co. line
CPW has unit 421 bounded on the north by Colorado River-Plateau Creek divide; on the east by Divide Creek-Buzzard Creek divide; on the south by Mesa-Delta Co. line; on the west by Colo. 65. That is a legal description, not a habitat map. Its value is practical — those are the features you will navigate by, and the ridges that separate one day's country from another's.
High ground inside the line: Leon Peak, South Mamm Peak and Willow Ridge
Named high points inside the unit include Leon Peak at 11,227 feet, South Mamm Peak at 11,038 feet, Willow Ridge at 10,871 feet, The Flat Tops at 10,753 feet and Bald Mountain at 10,742 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Elk want timber to bed in and open ground to feed on, within a short walk of each other.
Holding ground: Buzzard Park, Big Park and Wagon Park
Below them sit Buzzard Park at 9,735 feet, Big Park at 9,550 feet, Wagon Park at 9,475 feet, Plateau Park at 9,468 feet and Grass Park at 9,152 feet. That is the low country of the unit — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Pick the one with the least road on its upwind side.
Public ground to start from: Jerry Creek Reservoir SWA, Mogensen Ponds SWA and Plateau Creek SWA
CPW lists Jerry Creek Reservoir SWA, Mogensen Ponds SWA and Plateau Creek SWA inside this unit as ground open to public hunting. Each property sets its own restrictions, and the agency's page for it is where they are written down. Federal land covers about 65% of the unit on top of those.
Water: Mule Spring, Mud Spring and Cox Spring
The water inside the unit line comes to 7,138 mapped stream reaches, 62 lakes and 929 stock tanks. Named sources include Mule Spring, Mud Spring, Cox Spring and Goody Spring. On ground with that many tanks, knowing which two or three hold water in your season is the most useful thing a scouting trip can tell you.
The herd this unit belongs to: E-14
CPW does not manage elk unit by unit. It manages them as data analysis unit E-14, and unit 421 is one piece of it. The rest of E-14 is unit 41, unit 42, unit 52, unit 411 and unit 521. That matters twice over: the population objective and the licence numbers are set for the whole area, and the animals move across unit lines inside it without noticing them.
Unit 421 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 5,437–10,193 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 8,262 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
- 540 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest — 60%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 32%
Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 929 tanks
- 7,138 stream segments
- 62 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Leon Peak (11,227 ft), South Mamm Peak (11,038 ft), Willow Ridge (10,871 ft), The Flat Tops (10,753 ft)
Holding ground: No Good Park (10,584 ft), Willow Park (10,352 ft), Sheep Flats (10,266 ft), Jerry Creek Reservoir SWA, Mogensen Ponds SWA
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Elk in Unit 421
Elk Success Rates
CPW's 2023 harvest estimates put elk success in unit 421 at 17% — 540 animals taken by 3,165 hunters. That is a lot of hunters in one unit, and the percentage is what it looks like after all of them have been through it.
- Archery — 10% success, 112 taken by 1,097 hunters
- Muzzleloader — 17% success, 48 taken by 276 hunters
- Rifle — 21% success, 380 taken by 1,792 hunters
These are the agency's own printed figures for this unit, not a modelled estimate and not a state average. They describe one season, so check CPW's current harvest estimates before you read a trend into them.
Elk Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — 2nd Season cow only (resident) | 158 | 258 | 61.2% | — |
| Rifle — 2nd Season cow only (nonresident) | 54 | 90 | 60.0% | — |
| Rifle — 5th Season cow only (resident) | 263 | 413 | 63.7% | — |
| Rifle — 5th Season cow only (nonresident) | 43 | 62 | 69.4% | — |
| Rifle — 3rd Season cow only (resident) | 55 | 106 | 51.9% | — |
| Rifle — 3rd Season cow only (nonresident) | 23 | 35 | 65.7% | — |
| Rifle — 4th Season cow only (resident) | 25 | 58 | 43.1% | — |
| Rifle — 4th Season cow only (nonresident) | 4 | 22 | 18.2% | — |
Data from 2026 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number.
Open in Draw Odds EngineCPW's 2026 draw recap for elk in unit 421, by hunt code, with resident and nonresident kept apart because the two draw from different licence pools:
- EF421O2R — Rifle, 2nd Season, Cow Only, resident: 258 applicants for 158 licences, 61.2% drawn, no preference points needed
- EF421O3R — Rifle, 3rd Season, Cow Only, resident: 106 applicants for 55 licences, 51.9% drawn, no preference points needed
- EF421O2R — Rifle, 2nd Season, Cow Only, nonresident: 90 applicants for 54 licences, 60% drawn, no preference points needed
- EF421O4R — Rifle, 4th Season, Cow Only, resident: 58 applicants for 25 licences, 43.1% drawn, no preference points needed
No preference points were needed for the codes above in that year, which can change the moment applicant numbers do. There are 2 further code-and-residency combinations in the recap for this unit. Figures checked against CPW's own statistics pages on 2026-06-09.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Colorado unit 421?
What is the elk success rate in unit 421?
Where do you stay and resupply for a unit 421 hunt?
What is the mule deer success rate in unit 421?
What is the pronghorn success rate in unit 421?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-23.
- Colorado Big Game Hunting Brochure — Game Management Unit (GMU) Descriptions (pp. 79-80-81-82) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: GMU boundary description, Counties the unit lies in, Data analysis unit (DAU) the unit belongs to · accessed 2026-10-22
- 2023 Colorado Elk Harvest Estimates — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: Percent success for elk in unit 421, Hunters and harvest by weapon and season · accessed 2026-10-22
- CPW CPWAdminData feature service — GMU and sheep/goat unit boundaries — Colorado Parks and Wildlife GIS Unit · supports: Mapped extent of the unit, Which named ground falls inside the unit line · accessed 2026-10-22
- 2023 Colorado Deer Harvest Estimates — Colorado Parks and Wildlife · supports: Percent success for mule deer in unit 421, Hunters and harvest by weapon and season · accessed 2026-10-22